Text prediction

• US 8,914,275 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Morin, Frederic, Stevens, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Godbold, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US13/080,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20120259615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/9, 704/10
• US Class Current: 704/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/274 Converting codes to words; Guess-ahead of partial word inputs

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are provided for suggesting a word and/or phrase to a user based at least upon a prefix of one or more characters that the user has inputted. Words in a database are respectively assigned a unique identifier. Generally, the unique identifiers are assigned sequentially and contiguously, beginning with a first word alphabetically and ending with a last word alphabetically. When a user inputted prefix is received, a range of unique identifiers corresponding to words respectively having a prefix that matches the user inputted prefix are identified. Typically, the range of unique identifiers corresponds to substantially all of the words that begin with the given prefix and does not correspond to words that do not begin with the given prefix. The unique identifiers may then be compared to a probability database to identify which words have a higher probability of being selected by the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first character set comprising one or more characters;

identifying a first unique identifier, comprising more than two numbers, corresponding to a first word having a first prefix that matches the first character set;

identifying a first predefined probability for the first word based upon the first unique identifier, where the first predefined probability does not change in response to a modification to the first character set, the first unique identifier associated with the first predefined probability in a lookup table stored in a database;

identifying a second unique identifier, comprising more than two numbers, corresponding to a second word having a second prefix that matches the first character set;

identifying a second predefined probability for the second word based upon the second unique identifier, where the second predefined probability does not change in response to the modification to the first character set, the second unique identifier associated with the second predefined probability in the lookup table stored in the database; and

displaying at least one of the first word when the first predefined probability is within a desired probability range or the second word when the second predefined probability is within the desired probability range,

at least some of the method implemented at least in part via a processing unit.

2. The method of claim 1, the first prefix the same as the second prefix.

3. The method of claim 1, the first predefined probability related to a likelihood that the first word matches a word a user is intending to input.

4. The method of claim 1, the first unique identifier comprising an integer.

5. The method of claim 1, the first predefined probability different than the second predefined probability.

6. The method of claim 1, the second predefined probability related to a likelihood that the second word matches a word a user is intending to input.

7. The method of claim 1, the second unique identifier comprising an integer.

8. The method of claim 1, the first unique identifier different than the second unique identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, the receiving a first character set comprising receiving the first character set in at least one of an email message or a text message.

10. A system, comprising:

one or more processing units; and

memory comprising instructions that when executed by at least one of the one or more processing units, perform a method comprising;

receiving a first character set comprising one or more characters;

identifying a first unique identifier corresponding to a first word having a first prefix that matches the first character set;

identifying a first predefined probability for the first word based upon the first unique identifier, the first unique identifier associated with the first predefined probability in a lookup table stored in a database;

identifying a second unique identifier corresponding to a second word having a second prefix that matches the first character set;

identifying a second predefined probability for the second word based upon the second unique identifier, the second unique identifier associated with the second predefined probability in the lookup table stored in the database; and

displaying at least one of the first word when the first predefined probability is within a desired probability range or the second word when the second predefined probability is within the desired probability range.

11. The system of claim 10, the first predefined probability different than the second predefined probability.

12. The system of claim 10, the first unique identifier comprising an integer.

13. The system of claim 10, the first unique identifier different than the second unique identifier.

14. The system of claim 10, the first word associated with the first unique identifier in the database.

15. The system of claim 10, the first predefined probability related to a likelihood that the first word matches a word a user is intending to input.

16. The system of claim 10, the second predefined probability related to a likelihood that the second word matches a word a user is intending to input.

17. The system of claim 10, the first prefix the same as the second prefix.

18. A computer readable medium, excluding signals, comprising processor executable instructions that when executed perform a method comprising:

receiving a first character set comprising one or more characters;

identifying a first unique identifier, comprising more than two numbers, corresponding to a first word having a first prefix that matches the first character set;

identifying a first predefined probability for the first word based upon the first unique identifier, the first unique identifier associated with the first predefined probability in a lookup table stored in a database; and

displaying the first word when the first predefined probability is within a desired probability range.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, the first predefined probability related to a likelihood that the first word matches a word a user is intending to input.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, the first unique identifier comprising an integer.